Chicago "welcomes" Bush — Firsthand report with photos

[prolesunited]

Bush was in Chicago Tuesday for a $2,000 a plate fund-raiser. Food pictured here:



Nearly 2,000 ponied up the cash to dine with him at the Sheraton. Organizers projected the single event would raise $3.6 million. Apparently, his fat-cat friends consider it an investment or just a token payback for the huge tax cut they received.



Security was very tight, with plenty of cops and Secret Service people around. The entourage arrived through an underground entrance. Anyone with a sign was not allowed near the hotel. I got these shots because I got there early and had my sign in my backpack.

[flamingyouth]

1. That's all the food you get for $2,000?

Wow. I should start a catering business for creepy politicians.

(Just kidding)

[karlschneider]

5. See that empty coffee cup? It's just big enough to hold a carefully

folded fat government contract.

Just "party favors" you understand......

:eyes:

[MrPrax]

16. But you get three slices of orange!!!

That's cheap...mind you at 11.95 a pop for a buffet...you could come away with a lot of change...



Rubber chicken not included

[hang a left]

2. Just look at all those carbohydrates.

[greatauntoftriplets]

3. And he raised $3 million off of that lunch.

Some people have no taste.

[prolesunited]

33. You would think

they would serve up something a little classier and elegant at that price.

[candy331]

4. $3.6illiom dollars?

I was under the understanding that contributions were limited to $2,000 per person. How could 2,000 persons equal this amount? What's the deal?

[karlschneider]

6. Uh, 2000 x 2000 = 4 mil.

:eyes:

[prolesunited]

11. Maybe $400,000 for expenses?

Or it could be that fuzzy math. :shrug:

[Paco]

7. Thanks

for the update. Did you manage to get the thief to notice your sign? You are very courageous. Expect a knock on your door from the guys in black questioning your un-American activities.

:yourock:

[prolesunited]

8. Protesters were confined

to a pen across the street from the hotel, with trees and other structures blocking the view of the entrance.



These women tried to stand on the corner across the street from the hotel and an officer told them they had to move. The stated their constitutional rights and the officer agreed. He said they just had to exercise them in the appropriate zone. They stood their ground but the officer made it clear he would arrest them if they didn't move. So then they decided to move, walking up and down the street. The cops then huddle to decide what to to next. When I pointed that out to one of the woman, she said her children were counting on her to pick them up at school so she relented and they went into the pen.

[beanball]

9. Reform

all of the crooked pols love $$$$$$$ and nothing will get done for the common man and woman until campaighn finance reform is inacted.

[prolesunited]

10. Here's some shots of the protesters

I had expected more there because Chicago has had better turnouts for protests in the past. I took the train and arrived about 11 a.m. and there were only a few people there. The event was scheduled to start at noon.

Because it was during a weekday (I took a personal business day off work to attend.), many people came and left throughout the event. I would say there were several hundred in the crown at its peek. Of course, media estimates pegged the crowd at 80 to 100. :eyes: It would have been nice, though, to have had the same number of people outside as inside.

The crowd included a wide variety of people as always and a number of causes were represented as you can see from the pictures. What fascinates me is how normal-looking most people are. Why is it that you never see them on TV? Off course, there were younger people there with all manner of piercings and hair colors, but they definitely were in the minority.

[AnnabelLee]

12. Thanks for the report

And thanks for being out there protesting!:hi:

[frank frankly]

13. great pictures

way to represent, proseunited!

[never cry wolf]

14. I am still ticked off I couldn't make it.

I talked to the union guys I was meeting with and they said to definitely give them a heads up next time. Was this advertised in the Reader or Defender??

Show the pic of that shrub essay for the reason to invade Iraq that was on the other thread in LBN, that was a hoot!!

[tsipple]

15. Secret Service Photos...

Not really needed, quite honestly.

Allow me to explain. Those folks are blue collar workers who really aren't out to be photographed. (Demonstrators are. So are celebrities and political folks like Bush.) Combine that with their security functions, and it's probably best to respect their privacy.

I'm not saying this is a big deal, but just passing along my thoughts on the subject. For whatever it is worth.

(On edit: ) No one is really recognizable, except possibly in one photo, so you did pretty well there. Thanks.

[prolesunited]

19. I don't think they're recognizable

in any of the photos. I really don't need them knocking on my door, if you know what I mean. All they will find is a messy house and lots of progressive reading materials, which I don't think is a crime yet. Thanks for the concern. :-)

[Clovis Sangrail]

20. Secret Service Photos

I think it's great that people take pictures of the security measures taken, including the personell.

Anytime I've had a camera at a protest I take a lot of pictures of the police. (and yes, I do feel that the SS are simply police... albeit with better training and toys)

[Bread and Circus]

17. Don't these photos just give you...

a warm fuzzie.

Man, that is Democracy in action. Thank god
we overthrew the damn imperial British!

[prolesunited]

18. More protesters and signs

This is Senryu Sid. He's a DUer and this is the third protest that I've met it at.



This one really struck me. Do you realize how many babies and young children have died in Iraq, not only from bombs and gunfire but from the conditions in the country. I'm sure the Iraqi moms love their babies as much as this woman loves hers. She obviously realizes it with the sign that she made that drives this point home.



What's a protest without puppets? What I really liked, though, were her boots. ;-)



Many groups had representation. Supporters for Kucinich, Dean and Clark also were out in full force. I've got a ton more pics, but I don't have them posted on the Web yet.





These girls were really sweet. The first photo I took, one had her eyes closed. In the second one, the other goal had her eyes closed. Third time was a charm.



Funny, nobody bought these plates.



This was by far, the hit of the protest, for obvious reasons

[tabasco]

21. Great work, Prolesunited.

How disgusting to see these fat cats line up to offer tribute to the worst president ever. Money is more important to these people than their nation, and I hold them in utter contempt.

[prolesunited]

22. Funny you should mention the fat-cats

Although we never were even close to Bush and his entourage, many of the guests leaving the luncheon had to walk by us to get to their cars. We were in the pen and there was a sidewalk and several officers separating us.

They had to walk about a block listening to our boos and hisses and taunts. "Shame on you!" seemed to go over big. It was interesting watching the exchange between the two groups. The protesters were sincerely angry at those who attended the luncheon. Most of the people in their fancy suits walked by smirking, just like their "hero" I suppose.

For those in the crowd without jobs or health insurance or living in substandard housing, that $2,000 they plunked down could be a matter of life or death for them. I imagine the rich figure it's an investment, a kickback for their last tax cut and a down-payment on the next one. With the money going to Iraq, their fellow citizens will just have to do without and all they can do is smirk. It was such a callous, arrogant attitude that was on display.

[Lisa]

23. food that's been in the same room as * -- a biohazard?

I for one would not want to eat anything that might have been in contact with the haze of shedding skin cells and bacteria that surrounds W.

Ick!


But a great job all round, prolesunited! I don't think Bush would apply his trademark "fabulous" to the protests ... so I will instead. Fabulous! Bravo!

[prolesunited]

24. Once most of the crowd

had left the luncheon and the protest was winding down, a few people yelled that we should leave the pen and start marching. It was really interesting to watch. At first, just a few people started out and the others waited for the police reaction.

When it became clear the cops weren't going to stop us, more joined in, about 50 in all. What was funny is that since it was completely spontaneous, the people at the front had no idea where they were going, so it was kind of aimless. With whistles, plastic drums, signs and chants, the rag-tag group attracted quite a bit of attention from the weekday crowd.

We got quite a few honks from motorists and some thumbs up and peace signs from those on the street. One funny incident happened when a worker in a higher end clothing store started waving and giving us the thumbs up. I then watched here manager catch her and it was apparent he was reprimanding her.

The cops basically kept us on the sidewalk and made sure we didn't get hit at the intersections. However, when the leaders decided they wanted to march down Michigan Avenue, which is the city's premier retail district. The cops said no and verbal confrontation ensued. In about a minute, a paddy wagon and cops in riot gear were there. That certainly set my heart racing.

Then more discussion, between the cops and the protesters. While this was going on, I just kind of hung in the background snapping photographs and ready to get out of there quickly. In the end, they reached a compromise about going around a construction area and the cops let us on Michigan Avenue and we marched down both sides of the street. People kept peeling off and then I had to catch my train.









I took about 75 photos and I have some more good ones, but these were all I got posted tonight. Maybe I'll add a few more to this thread tomorrow.

[JanMichael]

25. Great shots!

$3.6 million? Imagine if Gore had done that during the opening days of a scandal...

[prolesunited]

26. Don't you know

It's OK because he is a Republican. He can do no wrong. :silly:

[susu369]

27. Thank you

and all the brave souls there.

"and they went into the pen."

Meanwhile the fat cats, with their stomachs full of $2,000.00 sandwiches, freely and arrogantly strut by.

You have given us a vivid image. I'm enraged.

[GOPisEvil]

28. Nice work!! Great pictures as always!

I love Chicago! :thumbsup:

[prolesunited]

29. Pictures of people from the Clark, Dean and Kucinich camps

I didn't see supporters for any of the other candidates out there.









Although this guy was campaigning for a GOP candidate. He was shouted down and protesters covered his sign. He whined to police, who wouldn't do anything. Eventually, he took down his banner and left.

[prolesunited]

30. More crowd shots

This was when we were on Michigan Avenue, which is very upscale. These two women with shopping bags on the right got separated from their husbands and were truly panicked by us. She yelled to her husband, who was on the other side of the marchers, that she was trapped. I think we scared her.

[linazelle]

31. You did a great job...and as usual the "liberal media" ignored this...

Thanks for your hard work.

[Plaid Adder]

32. More pictures on Indymedia:

http://chicago.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=31416&group=webcast

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[prolesunited]

34. There were some good ones in that bunch

I especially like Bush's homework assignment on Iraq. I'll probably throw some of these up there later today.